| Performance Title | Salute to the Red Army - Twenty-Fifth Anniversary |
| Performance Date | 21 February 1943 |
| Performance Day | Sunday |
| Performance Time | 15:00 |
| Main Performers | Lieutenant Laurence Olivier,
John Gielgud,
Lieutenant-Commander Ralph Richardson,
Dame Sybil Thorndike,
Mary Clare,
Austin Trevor,
John Laurie,
Marius Goring
Margaretta Scott,
Clarice Mayne,
Ivan Samson,
Frank Cellier - actors,
Joan Hammond,
Dennis Noble - vocals,
Sir Anthony Eden (Foreign Secretary) - speaker |
| Secondary Performers | Arnold Greir - organ |
| Orchestra or Band | London Philharmonic Orchestra,
A section of the BBC Symphony Orchestra,
Massed Band of the Grenadier Guards and the Scots Guards
Pipes and Drums of the Scots Guards
Trumpets and Drums of the Life Guards, the Royal Horse Guards and the Royal Air Force
Buglers of the Royal Marines |
| Choirs | Royal Choral Society
A Welsh Factory Choir (conducted by Mr T Kemp) |
| Conductors | Sir Malcolm Sargent |
| Set List | Salute to the Red Army pageant: (written by Louis MacNeice, devised and produced by Basil Dean)
'An Announcement' (Henry Oscar)
With Fanfares written specially for the occasion (William Walton),
'A Foreword for Victory' from Medieval Russia when Alexander Nevsky defeated the German invaders. (Alexander Nevsky played by Lt Laurence Olivier RNVR) - Music from the film of the same name (Prokofiev)
The World At Peace - Songs from the past, when both Russia and Britain were at peace and able to enjoy their traditional heritage of peace time arts and customs:-
a) 'The Volga Boat Song (BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Society, Royal Choral Society)
b) Two songs in Welsh
i) 'All Through the Night', (Welsh Folk Song), (A Welsh Factory Choir)
ii) David of the White Rock' (trad., arr. Evans) (A Welsh Factory Choir)
The Nazi Threat to the Soviet Union: The contours of peace are lost in the deepening shadow from the West. Hitler is about to invade.
The Spokesman (Lt Commander Ralph Richardson, RNVR)
The Spokeswoman (Dame Sybil Thorndike)
A Nazi Figure (Marius Goring)
'If War comes Tomorrow', A Soviet Song (much sung in 1941 by both the Red Army and the Soviet People), '(Dennis Noble, the Symphony Orchestras and Chorus), Dimitri Pokrass, orch. N del Mar,
'The Outbreak of War:' The impact on the Soviet Union and on the world of German Invasion. The terror of the BLITZKREIG. The World waits and watches. Four Britons (Margaretta Scott; Clarice Mayne; Ivan Samson; Frank Cellier) A Newsboy (Derek Ellis) The Spokesman; The Spokeswoman
'Fanfare specially written for the occasion' Arnold Bax, (Master of the King's Musick)
' Salute to life' (A famous song of the USSR expressing that will to live which resisted the Nazi death wish) (Dennis Noble, the Symphony Orchestras and Chorus) Shostakovich, orch. N del Mar
'Germany Attacking, the Soviet Union Resisting': The German's first offensive rolls on Eastward, but is gradually slowed down, then brought to a stop by the Red Army. This is the Winter 1941-2. Their guerrillas are active behind the German lines; they are getting their second wind. (The Spokesman; The Spokeswoman)
'Greetings to the Red Army': from the factory workers and Civil Defence Services of Britain. Accompanying Music: 'The Spitfire Fugue and Prelude' William Walton, from the film: 'The First of the Few' (The Symphony Orchestras)
'Women at War': The Woman speaks for the Women of Britain and calls on them to salute their Soviet sisters and brothers, The Woman (Mary Clare) - Greetings to the Red Army from British women war-workers, 'Symphony No 2 in E Flat' (Last Movement) Elgar,
A British Song - 'To Women' from 'The Spirt of England', Elgar (Joan Hammond, the Symphony Orchestras and Chorus)
The Artic Convoy: Britain's contribution to the fight; the dangerous but all-important job of her seamen. Parade of British seamen in honour of the Red Army. The Spokesman; The Spokeswoman, A Seaman (John Laurie), Accompanying Music: 'Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition', Frank Loesser, orch. L Lucas
'Sea Symphony' First Movement, R Vaughn Williams (Dennis Noble with the Symphony Orchestras and Chorus),
'The Defence of Stalingrad': the story of the War is resumed. This is Autumn 1942. Nazi confidence gradually ebbs. The Soviet Unit on fights back. Her fight is crowned with victory. Moscow Radio (John Gielgud), A Nazi Figure,
'Over to the Attack': The Red Army has relieved Stalingrad, but this is only the beginning. The Soviet Offensive goes on. February 1943. The Spokesman, the Spokeswoman, Nazi Radio (Austin Trevor), Accompanying Music: 'Symphony No 7' (The Leningrad), Shostakovitch,
'Greetings to the Red Army': The Spokesman - Parade of the British Armed Forces
'Ode to the Red Army' (Music written specially for this occasion) Alan Rawsthorne, (Joan Hammond, Dennis Noble, the Symphony Orchestras and Chorus)
Speech (Right Hon Anthony Eden),
'Salute to the Dead of the Red Army', - Solemn Fanfare written specially for this occasion, Arnold Bax (Master of the King's Musick),
'A Triumphant Fanfare to the Red Army' (Specially written for this occasion), William Walton,
'The Internationale'
'God Save the Queen' (The National Anthem) |
| Performance Notes | Associated Press Archive holds B&W Movietone footage of the event (Story No.BM43426).
"SALUTE TO THE RED ARMY
IMPRESSIVE PAGEANTRY
The Albert Hall was the setting for a production in which pageantry, drama, verse, and music combined to pay tribute to the Red Army. In his Cathedral Steps Mr Basil Dean showed that he had got beyond the experimental stage in what is really a new art form, and now indoors and in praise of the Soviet Union he matched what he had formerly done out of doors to the glory of this country.
It is true that the two productions are not altogether parallel - Cathedral Steps was an anthology, Salute to the Red Army has a 'book' written by Mr Louis Macneice which is only dramatically effective at moments and is too repetitive in form and thin in texture, but the success of the afternoon depended less upon the spoken word than upon spectacle and the emotion it generated, and, as a spectacle, Salute to the Red Army was a triumph. The processions in the Red Square of Moscow have proved often enough that the Russians themselves are experts in the art of wielding crowds and colour into effective patterns, and, although no Russians took an active part yesterday, M. Maisky and his compatriots in the audience must have felt that their country was being honoured in a way it could understand and appreciate. The very numbers made for impressiveness. Two thousand men and women drawn from the services, the factories, and civil defence, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the B.B.C. Symphony Orchestra, the massed bands of the Guards - these and the number of eminent artists taking part would in themselves, however haphazardly arranged, have made a brave show, but here they were marshalled in a way which made each and all of them significant parts in a grand design.
VIEW OF RUSSIAN CITY
A huge, stylized view of a Russian city swept round in a great curve behind the tiered seats at the stage end of the hall, and the producer used the arena in front of it as an artist uses a canvas. Lights from the roof and the galleries multiplied, criss-crossed, changed colour, and vanished, sometimes making the stage an impressionist design in cubism, sometimes concentrating into a single spotlight on the central figure, but, through all their combinations and permutations, one purpose persisted. High up on pulpits painted a battleship grey stood the Spokesman (Lieutenant-Commander Ralph Richardson) and the Spokeswoman (Dame Sybil Thorndike) in cloth of gold and gold helmets, erect, heroic beings, while beneath and between them gesticulated the Nazi (Mr Marius Goring), a dark menace, moving and crouching in his own shadow. But seldom was the pattern in the arena constant.
Mr MacNeice began with Alexander Nevsky (Lieutenant Laurence Olivier) and worked up to an over-delayed climax with the voice of Moscow Radio (Mr John Gielgud), symbolizing the resistence of the spirit of a people and its amry to a destructive materialism, and, as the argument was every now and again interrupted by music and singing, so was the stage broken up by groups of men and women coming forward with their own contributions in praise of the Red Army. 'The Volga Boat Song' was answered by the Welsh singing of 'All Through the Night', Elgar's 'To Women' supplemented 'The Leningrad Symphony,' and contingents of Civil Defence workers mingled with merchant seaman and naval ratings who helped to keep the convoy routes open. The scene at the end when the flags were grouped in a body in the centre, the military detachments, men and women, khaki, navy, and air-force blue, had taken up their stations and the pipers had marched up their stations and the pipers had marched up the lane kept open for them, caught the imagination of a crowd which, by its eagerness to show its appreciation of the 'Salute' and the army it honoured, helped to make the afternoon memorable."
(The Times, 22 February 1943, page 2)
"THE RED ARMY
Throughout Great Britain meetings have been held during the week-end in celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the creation of the Red Army. The SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS spoke in London at the Albert Hall, and Ministers of Cabinet rank were heard in a dozen other great cities."
(The Times, 22 February 1943, page 5)
Extract from Eden's speech:
"In three months the Russian Army has re-conquered all the territory wrested from it by the Germans during the summer of last year, and more besides. Much more besides, for the Red Army has driven into the minds of the German people the lesson that German troops can be defeated and hurled into the confusion of retreat. We are proud that our own Eighth Army has taught Rommell that lesson too. And here let me add one other tribute, which is of a domestic character, to the men of the Royal Navy and the Merchant Marine, who, in all seasons and in all weathers, have braved the perils of that Northern route to carry munitions and supplies of all kinds to our Russian Allies". "Today we salute the Red Army. We salute and mourn their gallant dead. They have died defending their Motherland against the most treacherous and ruthless of invaders, against the most awful menace that has imperilled western civilisation. The victories of Stalingrad, Rostov and Kharkov are avenging them. We applaud these glorious feats of arms. We look forward to the victories that are to come, to the final victory that will be won together."
Russian city designed by Denis Wreford, made at the ENSA scenic studios at the Drury Lane Theatre.
Costumes designed by Elizabeth Haffenden |
| Related Archival Material | Programme (RAHE/1/1943/15a) |
| Code | Name of Performer(s) |
| DS/UK/6420 | Eden; Sir; Robert Anthony (1897-1977); 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC; British politician |
| DS/UK/1129 | London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO); 1932-; British orchestra |
| DS/UK/893 | British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC); BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO); 1930-; British radio orchestra |
| DS/UK/5236 | Massed Bands of HM Brigade of Guards (fl 1900s-) |
| DS/UK/3522 | Thorndike; Dame; Agnes Sybil (1882-1976); CH DBE; British actress |
| DS/UK/6596 | Richardson; Ralph David (1902-1983); English actor |
| DS/UK/3760 | Gielgud; Sir; Arthur John (14 April 1904-21 May 2000); English actor, director, producer |
| DS/UK/3517 | Olivier; Lord; Laurence Kerr (1907-1989); OM; English actor, director, producer |
| DS/UK/2689 | Noble; Dennis (1898-1966); British baritone, teacher |
| DS/UK/1553 | Hammond; Dame; Joan Hilda Hood (1912-1996); DBE, CMG; Australian operatic soprano, singing coach, champion golfer |